In recent years, there has been a dramatic increase in the study and use of Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication and/or the deployment of Machine Type Communication (MTC) devices in cellular communications networks. As used herein, an MTC device is a wireless device that performs MTC or M2M communication. These MTC devices are sometime referred to as sensors. The use of these MTC devices can be a great opportunity for telecommunication operators to extend their network without significant costs. In M2M communications, MTC devices such as smart meters, signboards, cameras, remote sensors, laptops, and appliances are connected to the cellular communications network. Many MTC devices sporadically transmit one or a few short packets containing measurements, reports, or triggers such as, for example, temperature, humidity, wind speed, etc. In most cases, MTC devices are expected to have low mobility, e.g., they are static. MTC devices are often of low complexity, targeting low-end (e.g., low average revenue per user, low data rate, high latency tolerance) applications. For typical applications, the power/energy consumption for such MTC devices is expected to be low as well.
One of the distinguishing characteristics in cellular communications networks with M2M communication is that there is a large increase in the number of wireless devices (i.e., there are typically a large number of MTC devices). This can lead to the cellular communications network becoming over-loaded, which in turn can cause the cellular communications network to be unable to fully support the requested communications services. In addition, the MTC devices can be installed indoor or underground where the propagation conditions can be significantly degraded (i.e., some MTC devices may be located in coverage holes). It may therefore be difficult for MTC devices located in such coverage holes to maintain efficient and reliable communication with the cellular communications network.
As such, there is a need for systems and methods that provide efficient and reliable communication for MTC devices located in coverage holes. In addition, there is a need for systems and methods that address potential high load conditions when a large number of MTC devices are in a cellular communications network.